Migrant Rights Center

What Migrant Rights Center does

Centro de los Derechos del Migrante, Inc. (CDM), operating as the Migrant Rights Center, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2005 and headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, with additional offices in Mexico City and Juxtlahuaca, Oaxaca. CDM's mission is to support Mexico-based migrant workers in defending and protecting their rights as they move between their home communities in Mexico and workplaces in the United States. The organization serves a primarily geographic customer segment of migrant workers traveling the Mexico-US corridor, addressing exploitation, recruitment fraud, wage theft, workplace raids, and lack of legal representation through a combination of legal services, education, leadership development, and policy advocacy. Over 20 years, CDM has trained 44,000+ workers, reached 332 communities, and recovered $50M+ in earnings and damages for workers.

CDM's core offerings include Contratados.org (a 'Yelp-like' worker review platform for avoiding recruitment scams), El Portal Migrante (a digital resource portal), a Binational Hotline providing cross-border trauma-informed legal and social intake, Rapid Raid Response coordination, and a newly launched Worksite Raid Response Intake Tool built in partnership with Social Justice Partnership. The technology portfolio is purpose-built for the organization's mission: bilingual, trauma-informed, and designed to segment data into secure databases to protect privileged communications. CDM's go-to-market is community-led, relying on direct outreach, trained volunteer networks (2,000+ attorneys and volunteers), coalition partnerships, and digital platforms. The organization's revenue model is fully donation-dependent, including individual donations (Allies for Migrant Justice monthly giving program), donor-advised funds, IRA qualified charitable distributions, employer matching gifts, and event-based fundraising (Cien Cenas annual dinners). All services are provided at no cost to migrant workers.

Name

Migrant Rights Center

Legal name

Centro de los Derechos del Migrante, Inc.

Website

https://cdmigrante.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Centro de los Derechos del Migrante, Inc. (Migrant Rights Center) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides legal services, education, and advocacy to Mexico-based migrant workers moving between Mexico and the United States, operating from offices in Baltimore, Mexico City, and Juxtlahuaca, Oaxaca.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Migrant Worker Advocacy Services

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Migrant & Refugee Legal Aid and Documentation Services (BPADAHAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Refugee & Immigrant Support Services (BPAGAEAI), Digital Access & Online Government Services for Immigrants (EDAAADAF)

Keywords

• Migrant worker advocacy
• Legal aid services
• Immigrant rights education
• Workplace raid response
• Community outreach services

Headquarters

HQ city

Baltimore

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: CDM receives donations from individual supporters through its 'Allies for Migrant Justice' monthly giving program, as well as one-time donations and special campaigns like 'Cien Cenas' (One Hundred Dinners) annual dinners.
2. Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs): Donors can recommend grants to CDM through their DAF managers at 711 W 40th Street, Suite 412, Baltimore, MD 21211 (Tax ID: 20-2588279).
3. IRA Charitable Distributions: Qualified charitable distributions (QCDs) from IRAs for donors 70½ years or older, up to $108,000 per year, and RMD distributions for those 73 or older.
4. Employer Donation Matching: Corporate matching gift programs where employers match employee donations to amplify their impact.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Centro de los Derechos del Migrante (CDM) provides free legal representation, know-your-rights education, and advocacy services to Mexico-based migrant workers traveling between Mexico and the United States. The organization operates digital platforms such as Contratados.org for worker reviews and El Portal Migrante for educational resources, alongside a binational hotline and rapid raid response network that deploys trauma-informed support during workplace immigration enforcement actions.

Product overview

Centro de los Derechos del Migrante (CDM) is a nonprofit organization that operates a portfolio of interconnected digital platforms and services supporting Mexico-based migrant workers. The core offerings include Contratados.org (a worker review and employer-rating platform functioning as a 'Yelp-like' scam-avoidance tool), El Portal Migrante (a digital resource portal), a Binational Hotline providing cross-border trauma-informed legal and social intake, Rapid Raid Response (coordinated legal support networks), and a recently developed Worksite Raid Response Intake Tool. CDM's model combines technology platforms with direct legal services, advocacy, and community education to defend and protect migrant workers' rights as they move between Mexico and the United States.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Contratados: A 'Yelp-like' platform that helps workers safely navigate employers, share reviews, and dodge recruitment scams in real time.
• El Portal Migrante
• Allies for Migrant Justice
• Cien Cenas

Products and services

• Contratados.org A 'Yelp-like' worker review platform that helps migrant workers safely navigate employers, share reviews of work experiences, and dodge recruitment scams in real time. Functions as an employer rating and scam-avoidance resource.
• El Portal Migrante A digital resource portal providing migrant workers with access to educational, legal, and policy information to help defend their rights as they move between Mexico and the United States.
• Binational Hotline Staff provide trauma-informed legal and social intake services across borders, enabling migrant workers to access support and information regardless of which country they are in.
• Rapid Raid Response A coordinated legal support network that deploys rapid response to protect workers against potential workplace immigration raids, countering hostile immigration climates.
• Worksite Raid Response Intake Tool A bilingual, trauma-informed digital tool enabling community organizations and advocates to rapidly respond to worksite raid reports, screen workers for rights violations, assess need for legal and material support, and securely share information with service providers and legal advocates.

Quantifiable outcome

• $50+ million in earnings and damages recovered for workers
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Social Justice PartnershipcoreTechnology or IntegrationDeveloped a bilingual, trauma-informed digital tool for responding to mass worksite raids. The tool enables community-based organizations to rapidly respond to raid reports and coordinate legal and material support for workers.
• México Unido CoalitionflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition focused on worker rights advocacy. CDM led the development of a model ordinance for host cities' human rights plans centering workers' voices and priorities.
• Migration that Works CoalitionflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition working on labor rights and human trafficking issues. Through this partnership, CDM trained cities on trafficking risks and steps to protect immigrants and workers.
• Dignity 2026 CoalitionflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition focused on FIFA World Cup 2026 worker protections. CDM successfully advocated for FIFA to adopt key language for its Human Rights Framework regarding international labor recruitment abuses.
• Migrant Workers' Centre (MWC) - SingaporeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCDM is mentioned alongside MWC as organizations supporting migrant workers, though they are separate entities serving workers in different regions (CDM serves Mexico-US corridor; MWC serves Singapore).

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• HIAS: Established international refugee resettlement and protection agency serving displaced populations globally. Overlaps with CDM on refugee/migrant legal protection, advocacy, and resettlement services, but operates at much broader geographic and programmatic scale.
• International Rescue Committee: Major global humanitarian NGO providing resettlement, legal aid, and economic recovery services for refugees and migrants. Comparable in mission (migrant/refugee rights and services) and donor-funded model, though operating at significantly larger scale and broader scope.

Direct peers

• National Immigration Law Center: US-based nonprofit providing legal services, policy advocacy, and litigation support for low-income immigrants. Directly comparable mission (immigrant worker rights, legal aid), overlap in target population (migrant workers in the US), and analogous funding model (foundation + individual donations).
• Tahirih Justice Center: Nonprofit providing immigration legal services and public-policy advocacy, with a focus on immigrant survivors of gender-based violence. Overlaps in legal aid service delivery, pro-bono attorney networks, and trauma-informed care models for migrant populations.
• Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC): National network of immigration legal services programs affiliated with Catholic Charities. Comparable as a nonprofit providing direct legal representation, training, and capacity-building for immigration advocates serving migrant communities.
• Justice For Our Neighbors: Network of immigration legal aid clinics providing free and low-cost legal services to immigrants, including migrant workers. Directly comparable legal-services nonprofit model, donor-funded, with volunteer attorney engagement similar to CDM's.
• CARECEN (Central American Resource Center): Los Angeles-based nonprofit serving Central American immigrants with legal services, education, and community organizing. Comparable in delivery of free legal services, advocacy, and worker-rights focus for Latino migrant populations in the US.

Emerging players

• United We Dream: US-based immigrant youth-led network providing advocacy, legal support resources, and organizing tools for immigrant communities. Partial overlap in advocacy and digital empowerment tools for migrants; less focused on Mexico-US guestworker labor enforcement.

Others

• Migration Policy Institute: Think tank producing research and policy analysis on international migration, including low-wage migrant workers. Comparable subject-matter focus but operates in adjacent (research/analysis) rather than direct service category.

Regional players

• Migrant Workers' Centre (Singapore): Singaporean nonprofit providing legal aid, education, and advocacy for migrant workers in Asia. Explicitly referenced alongside CDM as a peer organization serving migrant workers, but in a different (Asia) geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cdmigrante
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCwlwAZYFjZGjCMVENBtY-9A
• Facebookfacebook.com/CDMigrante
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/centro-de-los-derechos-del-migrante

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Migrant Rights Center